Before you convince yourself there's no way that a little onion, tomato paste, and cream can come together in mere minutes to make one of the best homemade pasta sauces you've ever had, hear us out. Better yet, make this recipe for yourself. Just try and use double-concentrated tomato paste, which packs more flavor than the standard stuff.

Equipment

Steps

Fill a stock pot or other large pot three-quarters full with water and heat over high. Toss in a handful of salt and bring to a boil while you do your other prep.

Peel and finely chop 1 onion.

Firmly smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife and remove peel.

Grate 4 oz. Parmesan on the smallest holes of the box grater.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a Dutch oven over medium (position it next to pot of water). Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, just until onion is starting to brown around the edges, 5–7 minutes.

Using a heatproof glass measuring cup, scoop about ¼ cup boiling water from pot, then add ¾ cup heavy cream to measuring cup (this brings up the temperature of the cream so it won’t break when you add it to the pot).

Add 1 lb. rigatoni to pot of boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. About 1 minute before the timer goes off, use heatproof measuring cup to scoop up about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Heat Dutch oven over low.

Using a spider, transfer rigatoni to Dutch oven along with any water that’s piggybacking on the pasta.

Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to Dutch oven and stir to incorporate, then gradually add half of Parmesan, stirring constantly to melt cheese. You should have a smooth, glossy sauce that coats each piece of pasta. Season with salt and add a splash more pasta cooking liquid to thin sauce, if needed.

Divide pasta among bowls. Top with remaining cheese, dividing evenly. Drizzle with more oil, then tear basil leaves over.

Recipe by Claire Saffitz

Related Video

Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce

Reviews Section

Reviews

I made this for Christmas Eve dinner except I made homemade gnocchi instead of using rigatoni. This was the first vodka sauce that was easy for me to make and the sauce didn't break. HUGE hit at my house. Recommend adding more chili flakes than it calls for if you like spice and adding some pasta water.

kmcgreeveyMemphis, TN02/22/19

I love a good pasta sauce, and this is a new favorite of mine. I did mince the garlic, instead of using the crushed whole cloves so I could have a little garlic in every bite. I did season the sauce with a little salt and pepper at the end and it was delicious. Great addition to my pasta sauce recipes, excited to make this again!

anniekubala02/20/19

This sauce is so simple, it's great for a weeknight pasta dish. However, the final sauce needed a bit of salt. I'm also not a big fan of leaving the garlic whole, because it's easy to accidentally eat the entire clove with dinner. If I make this again, I'll chop 2 cloves of garlic and add it in at the same time as the onions instead of adding 4 whole smashed cloves. I'd also salt the onions and garlic at this point, though be careful since you're adding a bunch of salty pasta water to the sauce as well (3/4 cup as written).

mah356Philadelphia, PA02/15/19

Thinking about adding this to my collection of recipes for when my husband and I go on long sails- Can the sauce be made ahead of time and stored in the frig? thanks

AnonymousAustralia 02/08/19

I would definitely make this again! I am a vegetarian, so I'm still working on the heavy cream. I used coconut cream, but it needs to be tweaked. I will see if my local source store carries chemical free heavy cream. My only question is how do you add fresh basil leaves in the winter? I hope someone can answer this question for me.

TN01/29/19

This recipe was so good and so easy to make! I am a 11 year old girl and have a 9 year old brother who is very picky. It is very rare that everyone in my house eats and loves a dish we were licking our plates by the end!!!

Hailey W New Jersey 01/13/19

This recipe was everything I hoped it would be! It's super smooth, just enough heat, quick, and easy. It will go into heavy rotation at my house!

kdspradlin01/11/19

We loved this recipe so much that we've added it to our regular rotation. We added 1 lb of sausage (Lovera's sausage is a regional favorite). Because we added the sausage, we eliminated the red pepper flakes. We also added some freshly torn basil leaves to the sauce about the same time as the sauce is removed from heat to cook the pasta. The best part is, my husband and I can easily cook this after we get home from work. Definitely a must have in rotation.

AnonymousOklahoma City01/01/19

This recipe is awesome! As a college student just starting to experiment with cooking recipes other than the few my mom taught me, I found this recipe easy to follow and delicious! I made this for my friends on my birthday and it was a great treat to have a meal that tasted gourmet.

elizajn12/22/18

This recipe was everything I wanted and more. The crushed pepper cooks and adds the perfect amount of flavor and spice, while the onions add a perfect sweetness. My family loved it and I'll be adding this to our regular rotation.

AnonymousTexas12/20/18

This was a great recipe for a busy evening. My double concentrated tomato paste has been sitting in my fridge forever and this was the perfect use. Reading some of the more negative comments, make sure you don't burn the tomato paste & all the alcohol is burned off. If your sauce is tasting bitter you probably need to reduce the heat. I also added some anchovy paste to the sauce (#yolo). First time making vodka sauce and it was way easier than I thought & way better than any jarred sauce.

DarrahPState College, PA11/15/18

Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! The only change I made was to add about 3/4 lb of Italian sausage with the onions in the first step, other than that I followed the recipe exactly as written. The only note I would add would be to use a minimal amount of water when cooking the rigatoni, that way the starch is more concentrated in the water. I will certainly make this again.

JJVerret10/13/18

Love this!!!! thank you!

CHardingMichigan10/04/18

This recipe was so easy yet so delicious. It calls for minimal ingredients and effort but the outcome tastes like you spent hours making it. Have made it with and without vodka and it tastes just as good either way.

Texas09/23/18

10/10 recommend. Claire Saffitz is truly a gift to the earth that we don't deserve (Molly is great in the video but I was more convinced when I saw it was a Claire recipe). Made it exactly to the recipe. It was amazing - could eat the entire recipe myself. Am currently dreaming about it while glaring at my salad which will never compare to this perfect pasta shape full of luscious silky and perfectly spicy sauce.

rdh4150Bonn, Germany09/17/18

Simple, easy and tasty. I just wish I could find chunkier rigatoni like you guys have in the pictures.

Anonymous09/12/18

I made this recipe exactly by the instructions, albeit with a generous cook-off time for the vodka (basically until I couldn’t smell it much up close) and I followed the commenter who salted their onion & garlic a bit. It was delicious! Looked exactly like this recipe’s picture, smooth glossy sauce that was full of flavor.

lauren212Chicago09/11/18

I went by the recipe the first time I made this sauce- I felt it was a little bland. I did not add enough salt (I thought the cheese would be salty enough. My mistake). The second time I added more salt and a splash of sherry vinegar when I added the half and half and it was perfect.

Anonymous05/13/18

I've actually made this twice now. Once straight up, and the second time with ground lamb. it's pretty great on it's own, but lemme tell ya, this is takes to lamb beautifully. Added lamb between stages 5 and 6. Also, I'm sure you all know this, but if you are using "fancy" dry pasta, make sure you read your instructions. 3 different brands, 3 totally different times.
Cheers! Add Lamb!

parkerokincaidChicago, IL03/26/18

I strongly feel the vodka did not cook off. I'm sticking with crushed tomatoes and a longer cook time on the vodka next time.

Anonymous03/19/18

I used Mutti brand double concentrated tomato paste. Followed the recipe as written. Absolutely delicious and so easy. It is the vodka sauce I have been looking for.

AnonymousNew York03/06/18

Made this. Didn't change a thing. Loved it. 10/10 would make again. Perfection.
Using double concentrated tomato paste is critical. If your sauce is bitter, it means you've burned your tomato paste. Be sure to read through every step of the recipe before making and prep all of your ingredients in advance.

AnonymousSeattle03/03/18

4/5 because I made slight changes. I had & added half each of a yellow, orange and red bell pepper. I figured the color and texture would add to the pasta.
I also added salt with the onions to help them sweat instead of at the end, a small chunk of a Parmesan rind and a fresh bay leaf. Used 40% heavy cream because it’s what I had and definitely made sure to use the double concentrated tomato paste like the recipe calls for.
Here’s what came out: a silky, luscious sauce that would have most likely been the same with out without the peppers, Parmesan rind & bay leaf. (I feel 99.9% sure it would have been the same) I don’t know that half and half is the answer, I would always recommend cream, and if you needed sugar in this I think your tomato paste must have been bad.
I think the pictures and videos are 100. If I weren’t an experienced at home cook, I would need those for sure. I even used them to see what the pan should look like before adding the vodka to deglaze and I cook everyday. Legit, every.single.day. Use them if you’re unsure about how much water/cream to add. I started with what the recipe calling for and added a splash more each of cream and pasta water.
I used the sauce to add to some meatballs and bake with the rigatoni. If I hadn’t already prepped them, I would have just eaten the sauce plain with the rigatoni, it really was that good.

Melissa YoungSavannah, Georgia 02/27/18

get rid of the pictures and videos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymousoregon02/26/18

This was bitter and slightly tasteless. Ended up adding garlic powder and sugar in an attempt to save it but my kids were not fooled and begrudgingly ate enough to be excused from the table.